In Fallout 4, there are a large number of quests for players to complete in addition to the lengthy main quest. For completionists, this can represent hundreds of hours of gameplay to resolve every conflict, retrieve every item, and explore important areas in Fallout 4.
But in addition to these obvious quests, players can stumble upon more secretive interactions that not all or even most people will ever find. These can be triggered in strange ways or require more meticulous exploration to find than most are willing to do.
Here are 10 of those secret side quests which you may have missed.
Updated on April 11th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Fallout 4 continues to draw players in with its amazing open-world structure and its post-apocalyptic RPG gameplay. There is a ton to see and do in Fallout 4 and many players may have been through the game multiple times by now without ever truly uncovering all there is to uncover across The Commonwealth. There are so many hidden side quests and random encounters to discover. To shine a better light on some of the best hidden side quests in Fallout 4, as well as give more information on Fallout 4's secret side quests, the following guide has been updated to include even more entries and where to start them.
12 Trouble Brewin'
There are tons of quests that players can miss hidden throughout Fallout 4 if they don't enter specific buildings or engage certain NPCs in conversation. Trouble Brewin' is a great example, as it's a quest that can only be started by speaking to an NPC at the Hotel Rexford, or finding a certain Protectron in a location called Shamrock Taphouse. Once players begin the quest, they'll be tasked with locating a Protectron named Buddy (unless they stumble upon him prior to speaking to the NPC at Hotel Rexford). The quest is fairly straightforward, it's the reward that's pretty special. Players can opt to keep their hands on Buddy, a special drink-mixing robot that can then be sent to any of the settlements that a player has liberated, where he will remain and mix drinks (depending on what recipes the player finds).
How To Start Trouble Brewin'
To start this quest, players will need to head to Goodneighbor and find Rufus Rubins inside the Hotel Rexford. Alternatively, they can opt to head directly to the Shamrock Taphouse and find Buddy the Protectron waiting.
Rewards/Loot For This Quest
For finding Buddy and freeing him from the Shamrock Taphouse, players will receive:
- 200 XP
- 200 - 400 Caps
- Buddy, if players should decide to keep him instead of sending him to the Hotel Rexford.
11 Brain Dead
Players that have access to the Far Harbor DLC will find a new area teeming with all sorts of quests, but some of them manage to stand out compared to others. Brain Dead is one of the better quests that the add-on offers, even if the rewards are a bit lackluster for most players. The real reward is the quest itself, which begins in a rather strange way and ends up culminating in a twist ending that's pretty eye-opening. Players will need to use their detective skills for this one, as they'll be attempting to solve an actual "murder mystery." It's a lot of fun and a good way to break up the monotony of fetch quests and hunts.
How To Start Brain Dead
To begin Brain Dead, players need to head to Far Harbor and complete the first quest they receive, A Walk in the Park. After doing so, when walking around Far Harbor, players may be approached by a Miss Nanny. The NPC, dubbed Pearl, will then tell players that a murder has happened, and lead them to the Cliff's Edge Hotel.
Rewards/Loot For This Quest
When players finish the entire questline, they'll receive the following rewards:
- 400+ XP (First Part)
- 300+ XP (Second Part)
- 200 - 1270 pre-War Money
10 Hole In The Wall
Vault 81 is one of the few remaining vaults that hasn’t been subjected to some horrific backstory where the inhabitants were killed, mutated, or transformed. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t dark secrets to be found.
After completing a few quests players can return to the Vault and discover a young boy who has fallen ill after getting bitten by a molerat. They must then explore a hole in the wall that leads to a nest of molerats, the Vault’s dark secret, and an incurable illness that may haunt the player for the rest of the game.
How To Start Hole In The Wall
To start the Hole In The Wall quest, players must first complete the Vault 81 quest given by Dr. Forsythe. Then they must either try and find the cat Ashes as part of the Here Kitty, Kitty quest or wait more than a day before returning to the vault. At this point, the player needs to visit the medical bay and speak with Dr. Penske.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
For providing the cure, players receive the following:
- Syringer Rifle – A gun that uses syringes as ammo.
- A Personal Room In Vault 81
- The Ability To Take Any Item In Vault 81
- Curie As A Companion
If the player refuses to hand over the cure, they will receive the following:
- The Cure – which cures the player of the mole rat disease and grants +50% HP.
- Curie As A Companion
9 Last Voyage Of The USS Constitution
This massive ship is visible right from the beginning but many players are unaware that they can actually go inside and explore it. Those that do discover its accessibility are often turned away by the number of tough enemies it takes to reach it and forget it ever existed.
Those who persevere are introduced to a fun quest given by a bot named Ironsides, who wishes to see the ship return to the ocean where it came from. For players wanting to do something a little outside the ordinary, this is the quest for them.
How To Start Last Voyage Of The USS Constitution
Players need to encounter the Lookout, a Mister Handy robot roaming the streets below the ship In Charlestown. He’ll direct the player to seek out the captain still on the ship which requires ascending the bank to the ship resting on top.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
If the player sides with Ironsides:
- Broadsider – a portable cannon that shoots cannonballs.
- Lieutenant’s Hat
- The Captain’s Quarters as a personal room
- 500 Caps
If the player sides with the Scavengers:
- 1,000 Caps
8 The Great Hunt
In the Far Harbor DLC, players can encounter the Mariner who is obsessed with a mysterious cryptid said to be destroying any and all boats entering and leaving Far Harbor. The locals think she’s crazy but if players agree to assist her quest they’ll discover there really is a mysterious beast haunting Red Death Island, it’s just not what anyone was expecting.
After successfully vanquishing this monster you'll be presented with an interesting moral dilemma. Tell the truth and bring shame upon the Mariner or lie and see the townsfolk praise her as a hero.
How To Start The Great Hunt
To launch the Great Hunt, players must speak with the Mariner after completing the quest Hull Breach. She’ll talk about a mysterious creature called the Red Death destroying a number of boats and ask the player to help her kill it.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
- Legend Of The Harbor – a unique variation of the Fisherman’s Outfit.
7 The Devil’s Due
When the guard of a major city informs you of shady goings-on at a place known as the Museum of Witchcraft you know you’re in for a wild quest. Players will encounter a slain team of Gunners and a ferocious beast in the museum.
Then you're introduced to an interesting ethical dilemma straight out of Jurassic Park 3. If players fulfill the Gunner’s quest they’ll be given a useful recipe. If they refuse and deliver the valuable object they’ll receive a bizarre weapon from an unlikely source.
How To Start The Devil’s Due
There are two ways to start this quest, but the most common is to speak with a guard in Diamond City about the weird occurrences at the Museum Of Witchcraft. The other way is to travel to the Museum of Witchcraft and find Private Hart’s body on the west side of the museum. Either way leads to Private Hart’s holotape and begins the quest.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
If the player delivers the egg to Wellingham:
- 200 Caps
- Deathclaw Wellingham recipe – a food item that heals by 115 health points
If the player delivers the egg to the Deathclaw nest:
- Deathclaw Gauntlet – a strong hand-to-hand weapon
6 Atom Cats
The Atom Cats are a faction obsessed with Power Armor and for good reason because Power Armor’s awesome. It turns out the members of the Atom Cats are a bunch of softies and want the player to do something nice for a neighbor.
If you complete this important task and manage to rescue the Atom Cats from a Gunner attack you’ll be rewarded with a unique outfit. It’s honestly not that helpful in terms of gameplay, but it does look cool. You’ll also be on the good side of Fallout 4’s equivalent of a biker gang, so there’s that.
How To Start Atom Cats
The only way to start this quest is by finding the Atom Cats’ Garage. It’s located just north of the Quincy ruins in the bottom right corner of the game world. Once there the player must speak to Zeke and he’ll offer the quest to find Rowdy.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
- Zeke’s Jacket & Jeans – a unique outfit
- Become A Member Of The Atom Cats
5 Trip To The Stars
In the Nuka-World expansion players have the chance to encounter a group of cultists known as the Hubologists, so named after the founder Dara Hubbell. This subtle jab at Scientology, which was founded by L. Ron Hubbard, presents an interesting questline with some neat rewards.
The quest involves clearing out a group of robots, securing three fusion cores, and helping the Hubologists activate what they believe to be a genuine spaceship. Before you go calling this group of insane cultists crazy, keep in mind one of their rewards is ammo for the Alien Blaster obtained from a genuine extraterrestrial.
How To Start Trip To The Stars
Dara Hubbell in the Nuka-World add-on can be found at the Hubologist camp. She’ll ask the player to bring back five spacesuit costumes from the Galactic Zone and thus start the quest.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
- 200 Caps
- Hub’s Alien Blaster – An energy weapon great for Critical builds.
- 10 Alien Blaster Rounds – if the player kills the Hubologists
- 100 Alien Blaster Rounds – if the player doesn’t kill the Hubologists
4 Kid In A Fridge
This unfortunate situation has a lot of terrifying implications as players can encounter a young boy shouting from inside a fridge. It turns out he hid in there during the initial blast, got locked inside, turned into a ghoul, and has been stuck inside for the last 200 years.
Players are given the option of taking him home or selling him to the local Gunners. It’s hard to imagine anyone taking this boy that’s been trapped inside a fridge for 200 years and delivering him to a local gang to become a slave, but players have done a lot worse for less in this game.
How To Start Kid In A Fridge
The only way to start this quest is to find the refrigerator with the kid inside. It’s located near one of the ruined houses south of University Point. It might take some exploring to find it, but upon getting close the player will hear the kid calling out for help which starts the quest.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
If the player escorts Billy home
- 500 Caps
- 250 Caps – if the player saves the family from the Bullets.
If the player sells Billy to the Bullets
- 350 Caps
3 Mystery Meat
Speaking of terrible things, players can encounter this quest at the Longneck Lukowski’s Cannery. Two entrepreneurs will be arguing over the viability of a product they’re trying to sell that’s making people sick. At first, everything seems on the up and up as you clear out a nest of Molerats that are causing the problem.
Exploring the area will reveal there’s something else going on and investigating the source of the food poisoning will reveal something truly disturbing. No, it’s not the same situation as Soylent Green but it’s just as bad.
How To Start Mystery Meat
Players can kick off this quest by discovering Longneck Lukowski’s Cannery. It’s located on the eastern edge of the map, west of the Kingsport Lighthouse. After arriving at the location the player can speak with Theodore to get things going.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
If the player lets Theodore continue operations:
- 50 Caps
If the player kills Theodore:
- About 50 Caps
2 Here There Be Monsters
This is one of the more interesting quests in the game as few fans consider the moral implications of it. On the docks near Shamrock Taphouse, players will find a young boy who’s babbling about a monster in the ocean. If they investigate they’ll soon discover it’s not a monster, but an old nuclear submarine from the pre-war days known as the Yangtze.
A ghoul on board, also pre-war, called Captain Zao informs the player he’s trying to get the submarine seaworthy to travel back to China after successfully completing his mission 200 years ago. It shouldn’t take much for players to put together what a nuclear submarine from China was doing in the port of Boston 200 years ago and you are then presented with an option on how to handle this information.
How To Start Here There Be Monsters
Speak with Donny Kowalski who is on the docks by the Shamrock Taphouse to start this quest. He’ll talk about something he saw in the water and challenge the player to investigate. Alternatively, the player can swim into the water and come across the ‘eye stalk’ lurking in the waves.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
- Three Homing Beacons – lets the player launch three tactical nukes to wherever the beacon is placed.
- Four Pre-War Money
- 200 Caps
- Zao’s Sword - a unique melee weapon
1 Find The Treasures Of Jamaica Plain
This is perhaps the most interesting hidden side quest as many players will assume it was a worthless endeavor while others will see it as one of the greatest quests and rewards in the entire game. There are a number of ways to kick off the quest and all take players to the treasure hoard said to be underneath the town hall in Jamaica Plain.
If you can survive the swarms of feral ghouls in the town itself, navigate the traps, turrets, and Protectron’s in the basement then you’ll discover the treasure waiting for there. Before you get frustrated at what you find, take a look at the unique baseball bat in the display and give it a few swings.
How To Start Find The Treasures Of Jamaica Plain
There are three ways to start this quest. The player can come across Hadrian’s corpse, a random occurrence that can happen anywhere in the Commonwealth. The player can find and read the Jamaica Plain Flyer which also appears randomly or can be found in the Info Desk at the Boston Airport Ruins. The final way is to simply enter the town of Jamaica Plain and go into the basement of the Town Hall.
Rewards/Loot From This Quest
- Various Unique Pre-War Items
- Anywhere From 200 to 400 Caps
- 2076 World Series Baseball Bat – one of the best melee weapons in the game due to a 6% chance to send enemies flying with each strike.